Clos des Fées

Between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Pyrenees, in the Roussillon region, a few kilometers north of Perpignan, lies the Vingrau cirque. At the foot of its limestone cliffs, in the Agly Valley, Hervé Bizeul one day discovered some forgotten old vines. From this discovery in 1997, the Domaine du Clos des Fées was born. Starting from scratch, the winemaker has succeeded in creating exceptional wines, with names steeped in poetry, which are now exported all over the world.

Domaine du Clos des Fées: exceptional wines born of their winemaker’s ambition

Hervé Bizeul was a restaurateur, writer, and journalist. When he discovered the Agly Valley, he was swept up by his passion for winemaking. At age 21, he had won the Ruinard Trophy for Best Young Sommelier in France. He moved to Vingrau with his wife in 1997 to start a new life as a winemaker. He had no money but great ambitions, even though Roussillon wines were still relatively unknown at the time. To produce his first vintage in 1998, a winemaker friend lent him his cellar. It was there that the young winemaker created Le Clos des Fées, using grapes harvested from his few hectares of land and bunches picked from abandoned vines. Success was immediate: these were the first steps of a meteoric rise. Thanks to his hard work, courage, and patience, Domaine du Clos des Fées gradually expanded and upgraded its facilities, becoming one of the most prestigious estates in Roussillon within just a few years. From the very start of his winemaking journey, Hervé Bizeul aimed for excellence: he treated his vines like grand cru vineyards to produce the best possible wine. In particular, he has taken care to preserve the biodiversity of his land and has cultivated his vines using sustainable farming practices to avoid the use of any chemicals. Harvesting is done exclusively by hand, and the grapes are always picked at peak ripeness. Winemaking is rigorous and often bold. This is what allows the estate to offer a meticulously crafted range of wines, endowed with great aromatic richness.

Quality wines that showcase the diversity of the Roussillon vineyards

Today, the Domaine du Clos des Fées spans thirty hectares, divided into 112 plots. It encompasses seven terroirs (Vingrau, Tautavel, Maury, Calce, Lesquerde, Opoul, Espira de l’Agly) where grape varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Carignan are grown. The vines thus benefit from a wide variety of soils and exposures. This diversity, unique to the Roussillon vineyards, allows for the creation of unique red and white wines capable of revealing the specific characteristics of the terroirs where they are born. Domaine du Clos des Fées boasts an exceptional winemaking heritage that its owner is committed to preserving, even if it requires a long-term effort. From old vines, many of which are over a century old, he creates remarkable wines: Le Clos des Fées, Les Sorcières, Les Vieilles Vignes, De battre mon cœur s’est arrêté, Un faune avec son fifre... The most extraordinary of these is called La Petite Sibérie. This rare wine comes from a unique, iron-rich plot of land planted with old Grenache vines, where an icy wind blows 200 days a year. Hervé Bizeul thus draws on the richness of the terroir to create unusual and surprising wines. Grouped under the protected designations of origin "Côtes du Roussillon" and "Côtes du Roussillon Villages" or, for some, under the IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) labels "Pyrénées orientales" and "Côtes catalanes," the wines of Domaine du Clos des Fées truly showcase their region.